Newton fire chief says he does not know how marijuana got into his city car

Friday

Aug 22, 2008 at 12:01 AMAug 22, 2008 at 10:20 PM

“This discovery came as a shock to me," said LaCroix, 62, in a statement. "I want to make it very clear that throughout my more than 36-year career as a firefighter, I have never imperiled the safety of Newton firefighters or the general public by using or possessing illegal drugs.”

Chrissie Long and Gail Spector, staff writers

A bag of marijuana was found inside Newton fire chief Joseph LaCroix’s car on Thursday but the chief says he does not know how the substance got there.

“Yesterday during the routine cleaning of my city-issued vehicle, firefighters discovered an envelope that contained a small amount of marijuana under the front seat,” LaCroix, 62, said in a statement Friday.

“This discovery came as a shock to me. I want to make it very clear that throughout my more than 36-year career as a firefighter, I have never imperiled the safety of Newton firefighters or the general public by using or possessing illegal drugs.”

Firefighters regularly clean LaCroix’s city-issued car, according to Jeremy Solomon, spokesman for Mayor David Cohen. When they found the marijuana, they brought it to the chief’s attention.

The HR Department then informed the Executive Department, Solomon said. Cohen, who is on vacation this week, has been informed about the situation.

“I am cooperating fully with the Marlborough Police Department in their investigation,” LaCroix said. “I deeply regret this incident, and I apologize for any embarrassment this has caused to the members of the Newton Fire Department, Mayor Cohen, and to the citizens of Newton.”

LaCroix has been with the Newton Fire Department since 1972. He was promoted to fire chief in the spring of 2005, taking over for former Fire Chief Edward Murphy. He grew up in Nonantum and attended Our Lady’s Help of Christians High School (now Trinity Catholic), and later received a dual degree in building construction technology and architectural engineering from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston.

Newton Police Chief John O’Brien said that he did not have many details about the case, but that the Marlborough Police Department will handle the investigation. Captain Paul Valianti of the Marlborough Police Department said that his department has no comment at this time.

Fire Union President Tom Lopez would not comment except to say that “a substance was found in the car by members of the department doing a cleaning function that was requested by the chief.”
The discovery of the marijuana in the chief’s car comes at a pivotal time for the Newton Fire Department. A state committee just denied the city’s request to conduct random drug testing of firefighters. However, the contract comes back up for negotiation in the spring and Solomon said he suspects the issue of random drug testing will be broached again.